Regulation of electric circuits.



No. 769,638. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

H. R. SARGENT. REGULATION OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 28, 1900. N0 MODEL.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Fig

Witnesses Jnventor I HowarclRsargent, W y M J tty.

PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

H. R. SAR-GENT. REGULATION OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS.

APPLICATIONTILED NOV. 28, 1900.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.-

N0 MODEL.

IRIVEYCT UR Howard H. Sargent I a L I UNITED STATES Patented September6, 1904.

PATENT OFFIQE.

HOWARD R. SARGENT, OF SOHENEOTADY, NET V YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

REGULATION OF ELECTRIC CIRCUITS- SPECIFIGA'IION forming part of LettersPatent No. 769,638, dated September 6, 1904.

Application filed November 28,1900. Serial No. 38,014. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOWARD R. SARGENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Schenectady, county of Schenectady, State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Regulation of ElectricCircuits, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric lighting; and its object is to providemeans whereby two or more incandescent lamps can be con- I nected eitherwith all the lamps in series to give a dim light or with one lamp onlyin circuit to give a brighter light or with all lamps in parallel togive a light of maximum brilliancy or With all lights extinguished.

The invention is applicable to any place where conditions require lightof varying degrees of brilliancy controllable from a single switch, asin a sick-room or a safe-vault.

1n the drawings, Figure 1 is a diagram showing three sets oflamps'connected with current-supplying mains, each set provided with afour-way switch and each set arranged to produce a light of a differentdegree of brilliancy from the others. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of theswitch. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same. Fig. L is a verticalsection on the line 4: i, Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on theline 5 5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the turning plug of theswitch. Fig. 7 is a bottom plan view of the same.

For the sake of simplicity I have illustrated the application of myinvention to two lamps, though it is to be understood that I do notlimit myself to that number.

The two incandescent lamps A B are arranged in series and connected withthe positive supply-main O by the wire 1. A fourway switch D,hereinafter described, is interposed between the lamps and the negativemain O. The switch has a turning plug (Z and four stationary contacts(Z' (Z (Z (F. The first is connected with the positive main O by wire 1.The contact (Z is connected with both lamps by a common conductor 2.Contacts (Z and d are connected with lamp B by wires 3 a.

The turning plug (Z, Fig. 6, is made of insulating material and carriesfour metallic segments, two of which are connected by spindle cl andwire 5 with the negative main C. One of them, dais arranged to engagewith contact (Z only. The other, d, can engage with contacts (Z and (Fduring the rotation of the plug. The plug also carries abridging-segment (Z adapted to connect the contacts (Z d" at one pointin the revolution of the plug. The result of this arrangement is thatwhen the switch stands with the segment cl on contact 6?, as shown atposition a in thediagram, the current from the main O flows through wire1, lamps A B, wires 3 4, contact (Z segment d, spindle cl, and wire 5 tothe main O. The lamps are thus connected in series and give a dim light.By giving the switch-plug a quarter-turn to position 6 segment d,connected to the spindle d of the plug (Z, and thereby with the lead 5,engages contact (Z The circuit is now through wire 1 to lamp A andthence by wire 2 to contact (Z segment (Z spindle d, and wire 5 to mainO. The quarter-turn of the switch-plug moves segment d from contact (F,and thus breaks the circuit of lamp B. All the current now passesthrough lamp A alone,

which is lighted to full brilliancy, lamp B being cutout. Anotherquarter-turn of the plug to position 0 puts segment Z on contact (Z andthe bridging-segment (Z across the contacts (Z (Z The current nowdivides between wires 1 and 1. That flowing through wire 1 goes to lampA, whilethat by wire 1 goes to lamp B via contact (Z, bridging-segment(Z contact (Z and wire 3. The current after leaving the lamps flowsthrough wire 2, contact (Z segment cl, spindle d, and wire 5 to main O.Both lamps are now in multiple and burn with full brilliancy, givingdouble the light produced by position Z). On giving the switch-plug afourth quarter-turn all the segments are placed out of engagement withthe contacts and the lights are extinguished.

Figs. 2 to 7 show a switch embodying the various contacts and segmentsdescribed above. The insulating-base E has a flat top, above which risetwo diametrically opposite pedestals e c, on the top of which aresecured metal plates FF, carryingbinding-postsff" and upright flanges fto which are secured the spring-contacts (Z (Z lying at differentlevels. Between the pedestals metallic plates G G are secured to thebase E at opposite points, carrying binding-posts g g and uprightflanges to which are secured the spring-contacts (Z cl, lying atdilferent levels. A spindle d is mounted to rotate in a bearing in thebase E and carries a barrel of insula: tion (Z, to which are secured twosegments d" (Z electrically connected with each other and with thespindle andstanding ninety degrees apart. The segment (Z is higher thanthe segment (Z so that it can coact with both the contacts (Z (P, thesegment 6Z5 being capable of coaction with the lower contact (Z only. Ontop of the barrel (Z is a bridge-strip (Z of metal not in contact withthe spindle and having its ends bent downward to engage with thecontacts (Z (Z One end of the bridge-strip extends down only far enoughto engage the higher contact (Z while the other end. is long enough toengage the lower contact (Z. The wires 1, 2, 3, and 4 are connected,respectively, with the binding-post f gf g, and the wire 5 is connectedwith the spindle d. Upon turning the spindle and its barrel the circuitconnections are altered,as above described. The switch may have theusual snap-action and lost-motion devices, which need not be described.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

1. The combination with two translating devices, of a switch having fourstationary contacts, one connected with one translating device, twoconnected with the other translating device, and one common to bothtranslating devices, and a movable switch member carrying segments toconnect said contacts so that both translating devices will be inseries, or one translating device cut out, or both translating devicesin parallel.

2. A switch for controlling the circuits of two translating devices,comprising four sta tionary contacts, and a movable switch elementcarrying a bridging-segment to connect two of the contacts at one pointin its movement, and two connected segments to connect one or the otherof the two remaining contacts with the line at three points in itsmovement.

3. In an electric switch, the combination with a base carrying twocontacts cl, d opposite each other but on different levels, and twocontacts (F, (F opposite each other but on other and different levels,of a rotatable barrel carrying segment (Z adapted to coact with contact(Z segment d connected with (Z and adapted to coact with contacts 6?,cl, and segment (Z having its ends terminating at different levels, soas to bridge the contacts (Z, (Z at only one point in the revolution ofthe barrel.

4. The combination with two interconnected electric devices A and B, ofan electric switch having stationary and movable contacts of which astationary contact is connected to the outside of device B; a movablecontact is connected to the circuit and arranged to engage with saidstationary contact; a stationary contact is connected between saiddevices and arranged to be engaged by said movable contact; twostationary contacts are connected to the outside of devices A and B; anda movable contact is arranged to bridge said two stationary contacts.

5. The combination with two interconnected electric devices A and B, ofan electric switch having stationary and movable contacts of which astationary contact is connected to the outside of device B; a movablecontact is connected to the circuit and arranged to engage with saidstationary contact; a stationary contact is connected between devices Aand B and arranged to be engaged by said movable contact; a stationarycontact is connected to the outside of device A; and a movable contactis arranged to connect the last-named stationary contact with theoutside of device B.

6. The combination with two interconnected electric devices A and B, ofan electric switch having a movable contact connected to the circuit,and two stationary contacts of which one is connected to the outside ofdevice B, and the other of which is connected between the devices, saidstationary contacts being arranged to be successively engaged by themovable contact.

7 The combination with two interconnected electric devices A and B, ofan electric switch having stationary and movable contacts of which astationary contact is connected to the outside of device B; a stationarycontact is connected between the devices; a movable contact is connectedto the circuit and arranged to engage said stationary contactssuccessively; a stationary contact is connected to the outside of deviceA; and a movable contact is arranged to connect the last-namedstationary contact with the outside of device B. l

8. In a rotatable electric switch for controlling two interconnecteddevices, the combination with the stationary and rotatable members, oftwo contacts mounted on the stationary member in difierent planes andrespectively connected to the outsides of said devices, and abridging-piece mounted on the rotatable member, and extending into therespective planes of the stationary contacts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day ofNovember, 1900.

HOIVARD R. SARGENT.

IVitnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL, GENEVIEVE HAYNES.

